So this is why some Pixel 6 series users didn't get the September update yet!

Google usually releases its monthly Pixel update on the first Monday of each month. But for this month, the first Monday was Labor Day so the release came the very next day, Tuesday, September 5th. Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro users were looking forward to the update which, among other things, included a fix to stop a bug that was causing many handsets to become intolerably hot with an extreme battery drain.

Even though many owners of the Pixel 6 series phones (we are not including the Pixel 6a here for reasons we will discuss later) did receive the update in a timely fashion, many (including this writer) have yet to get the update. From experience, I've usually been able to update my Pixel 2 XL or Pixel 6 Pro no later than the second day after an update was announced.

As a result, we sensed that something was not right with the update, and sure enough the other day Google announced that new updates were just sent out for the Verizon "branded" Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The new build numbers are as follows:

Pixel 6 Pro (Verizon): TP1A.220905.004.A1
Pixel 6 (Verizon): TP1A.220905.004.A1

To check for the update on your Pixel phone, go to Settings > System > System update.

So if you never received the September update for your Pixel 6 series phone and you're a Verizon customer, now you know why. Something was wrong with the update and a new one has been pushed out. If it doesn't arrive soon, you can always join the Android 13 QPR1 Beta. This is the beta program for the December Pixel Quarterly Feature Drop. Keep in mind that you'll need to stay in the beta program until the stable version of the Quarterly Feature Drop is released in December or else you'll have to wipe your phone first.

To join the Android 13 QPR1 Beta, go to www.google.com/android/beta or tap on this link. Then tap on the box that reads, "View your eligible devices" and you'll see a photo of your Pixel model. Underneath it will be a prompt that says "Opt in." Tap on it and within 24 hours you will receive the update for your phone. The Android 13 QPR1 Beta includes the September security patch.

Now let's talk about the Pixel 6a. It was known from the time that Google announced the release on September 6th that the mid-ranger's September release was being delayed. Last week, Google also released the September update for the Pixel 6a with the build number TP1A.220905.004.A2. Again, you can check for it by going to Settings > System > System update.

For those who did not receive the update earlier this month, the update has four headings for Battery and Charging, Biometrics, Bluetooth, and User Interface. Under the first category, the update includes a fix for an "issue occasionally causing increased battery drain from certain launcher background activities." 

Under the category of Biometrics, Google improves the under-display fingerprint sensor for the Pixel 6a. And in the Bluetooth section, we learn that the update exterminates a bug that prevented certain Bluetooth devices from connecting to Pixel devices. And the last fix, under the category of User Interface, exterminates a bug that caused notifications "to appear truncated on the lock screen."

So now, hopefully, Verizon customers with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro receive their missing update, and all Pixel 6a users get theirs too if they haven't received it yet, And to reiterate, if you're tired of waiting, or you are not a Verizon customer, there is a workaround in the Android 13 QPR1 Beta. Just remember to back up your data first and when the December Feature Drop is made (tentatively on December 5th), you'll be given a little time to opt out of the beta program without a data wipe.